1000 Kelvin and Fieldmade Partner to Bring AI to Deployable 3D Printers

January 16, 2024 by Matt Kremenetsky 3D Printing 3D Printing Events 3D Software Energy Military 3D Printing

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1000 Kelvin, the US-German software provider specializing in AI-driven solutions for 3D printing, has partnered with Norway’s Fieldmade, maker of the NOMAD Series of deployable modules for 3D printing, to bring automated manufacturing quality control to the frontlines. 1000 Kelvin and Fieldmade announced the partnership at the Military Additive Manufacturing (MilAM) Summit & Technology Showcase in Tampa, Florida (January 16-17).

At Formnext 2023, 1000 Kelvin announced the commercial release of its AMAIZE platform, which uses physics and manufacturing data to autocorrects print recipes in order to prevent printing misfires before they occur. 1000 Kelvin’s US headquarters are specifically located in Southern California to put the company as close as possible to customers in the aerospace and defense market, with an unnamed rocket launch provider being one of the first commercial users of AMAIZE.

Fieldmade has extensive experience working with the Norwegian Armed Forces. The company also works extensively with energy companies, and Fieldnode, a Fieldmade spin-out, has created a digital inventory platform in collaboration with some of the world’s largest oil companies.

In a press release about 1000 Kelvin’s partnership with Fieldmade, Jostein Olsen, Fieldmade’s CEO, said, “Our vision is to make deployable 3D printing as easy as using a vending machine. The integration of 1000 Kelvin’s AMAIZE into our products is a significant step towards this goal.”
Omar Fergani, PhD, co-founder and CEO of 1000 Kelvin, said, “By combining our strengths, we’re not just advancing technology; we’re providing solutions that can save time, costs, and in critical military scenarios, even lives.”

It is inevitable that, as AM becomes, above all else, a supply chain resilience tool, more and more users will become concerned with ruggedization. As is indicated by the makeup of Fieldmade’s particular areas of expertise, this doesn’t just mean military customers, but any sector defined by a “frontlines” working environment, especially energy companies and shipping operations.

And, as Fieldmade’s choice of 1000 Kelvin as a partner illustrates, work environments where ruggedization is a priority are one of the best opportunities for automated quality control driven by AI. Of course, it will take some time, energy, and many failed attempts to straighten out all of the quirks involved in those processes.

On the other hand, the sooner that AI is built into the equation, the better, and the data from ruggedized environments should provide more insight, more quickly into the issues underlying all failed prints, than data exclusively derived from laboratory and factory settings. Moreover, there is a case to be made that mobile sectors requiring ruggedization represent the potential customer base with the most urgent need for AM for production. In turn, the sooner that AM companies can succeed at fulfilling that demand, the faster the cost per unit of every printed part can be lowered, paving the way for new adopters in more traditional manufacturing environments.